Animal traps may optionally be combined with a signaling device to indicate when the trap has been “sprung” or “tripped” by an animal.
Mechanical means have been proposed to provide a visual indication when a vermin trap has been sprung. For details of an example technology, refer to patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,606. Unfortunately, this type of visual signal is useful only if the trap can be viewed directly, and provides no benefit when the trap is placed out of sight.
Electronic circuits to signal when a trap has been tripped have been proposed. For additional details, refer to patents U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,017, U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,767, U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,635, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,415. These proposals are disadvantaged by requiring impractical modifications of conventional traps, or the signal circuits are unreasonably expensive as they incorporate significant electronics. Additionally, these proposals do not provide a way to remotely verify the signaling mechanism is in good operational condition. This is inconvenient when the trap is deployed in a hidden spot because the trap must be removed from the hidden spot to be tested to ensure the battery has not run down.
The use of remote visual indication of a trap being tripped has been proposed, using both wired and wireless signaling. For additional details, refer to patents U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,416 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,026,942, and publications US 2009/0151221 and US 2011/0083358. The proposed remote visual indicators are expensive systems that are not economically reasonable for consumer use or industrial use, or they require impractical modifications of conventional traps. Additionally, these proposals do not provide a way to remotely verify the signaling mechanism is in good operational condition. This is inconvenient when the trap is deployed in a hidden spot because the trap must be removed from the hidden spot to be tested to ensure the battery has not run down.
What is needed is a way to visually signal when a trap has been sprung that can be perceived even when the trap is placed out of sight, and which is easily used with unmodified conventional traps. What is also needed is a device to provide a remote visual signal that a trap has been sprung, along with a way to remotely verify the device is in good operational condition.